Chapter 63

Valerie hadn't expected to run into something like this. But instead of leaving, she sank into a single couch, twirling her pen between her fingers as she smiled with unhurried ease. "You're funny, miss. Comparing your store's products to those cheap knockoffs online? Even if your jewelry's quality is debatable, just your snobbish, condescending attitude alone is enough to drag your brand's image through the mud." Maybe it was Valerie's poise or tone, but Marceline suddenly felt the lady before her radiate a presence sharp enough to chill the air. Unwilling to back down and let her dignity take a hit, Marceline sneered. "It's 288 thousand dollars. Can you afford it?" Fresh from pocketing two billion dollars, Valerie was about to slap down her card and humiliate her when mocking laughter sounded from behind. "Since when did beggars stop knowing their place?" Valerie turned, only to see a familiar face—her stepmother, Marnie. No surprise there. Once a starlet whose fame had fille